It was exactly three weeks ago that I decided to exercise at home instead of doing ever more repetitions of local walks. It wasn't just the daily variations of the same two routes that was wearing me down, but the increasing strain of having to always be conscious of where other people might be and how best to avoid them.
It helped that we'd just received the treadmill we'd ordered, so there was an alternative, and it also helped that I'd just reached 1000 miles for the year before the second week in April - a target I'd been aiming at since the start of the year.
Having decided to exercise at home, I gave myself a let-out clause (literally!): I'd go out for a walk on a day when the forecast was for serious rain. My thinking was simple... I wasn't going to go out because too many other people were going out, but very few people go out when it rains heavily so my reason for not going out wouldn't apply.
Then, of course, we had three weeks of mainly warm sunshine here in the sunny south-east with barely a drop of rain.
Today though, the forecast was for heavy rain. I'm thoroughly enjoying my treadmill treks along some of our national trails as well as all the other amazing activities I can do in the comfort of my conservatory, so the decision to go outside for a walk today wasn't as easy as I'd expected. In other threads, members have talked about the difference in 'wanting' and 'needing' to engage in walks from the front door compared with those that involve driving to do. Personally, I'm not convinced that many people have a physical need to leave their home to exercise when they might (for example) walk around their gardens or go up and down their stairs, but my reluctance to go out today made me think there might possibly be a psychological need. I love going out, so why wasn't I keen to go? And if I stayed at home for another three weeks, might I be even less keen next time?
So on went my waterproofs and off I went!
I did the shortest version of my less preferred lockdown route - a circuit of just under 10 miles, along quiet lanes to the edge of the village of Herne and back along the cycle path by the Thanet Way (an 'A' road with a wide verge).
On the lanes section, I passed the only place I know of locally where ramsons (wild garlic) grow and I was delighted to see they were starting to flower.
And this is a section of the cycle path by the Thanet Way. As I said, it was pouring with rain and so it was no surprise that I saw only two other people exercising this morning - a pair of soggy joggers. (By the way, that's a path not a stream!)
I did ponder on the question of 'need' though...
If people claim to need to leave their homes to exercise, and if 'needing exercise' implies that fitness or health will suffer if the need isn't fulfilled, then why do so few people who need to go walking on sunny days not need to go walking when it rains?
